[474] SLAVERY’S IMPACT ON HIGHER ED TOPIC OF “MTSU ON THE RECORD”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 20, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081; WMOT-FM, 615-898-2800

SLAVERY’S IMPACT ON HIGHER ED TOPIC OF “MTSU ON THE RECORD”
Visiting Historian Dr. Spencer Crew Brings Smithsonian Expertise to MTSU

(MURFREESBORO) - This year’s Distinguished Public Historian at MTSU, Dr. Spencer Crew, will be the guest on the next edition of “MTSU on the Record” with host Gina Logue at 7 a.m. this Sunday, May 24, on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org).
Crew is slated to participate in a panel discussion on “American Slavery and Its Impact on Universities, Past and Present” at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 29, in the main courtroom on the second floor of the Rutherford County Courthouse.
Widely recognized as one of the top public historians in the nation, Crew graduated with a Ph.D. in history from Rutgers University then began a long career working with the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History.
From 1981 to 2001, he worked his way up from historian to executive director of the Smithsonian NMAH, developing several celebrated exhibits, including "From Field to Factory." During his time at the NMAM, he also launched major initiatives that revolutionized the Smithsonian's outreach and fundraising programs.
In 2001, Crew departed the Smithsonian to undertake the role of executive director/CEO of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. In January 2008, he resigned from NURFC to assume a public history faculty position at George Mason University, where he continues his work with museums and historic sites throughout the nation.
For more information, contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800. To listen to last week’s program on the issue of access to higher education for the immigrant population, go to http://frank.mtsu.edu/~proffice/podcast2009.html and click on “May 17, 2009.”